Ceramics Part Two Quiz

A Jacobson Production
 Wedging
Wedging is a process which
is used to prepare clay for
working.
Without being wedged, clay

will have an uneven texture
which makes it hard to
build with.
Un-wedged clay can be too
wet and will not hold its
shape. One of the other clay room
rules of the clay room is to
wash all your clay tools and
put them back!
 Wedging
Un-wedged clay can
also be too dry and will
crack and not stick
together.
Clay that is not wedged
may also have air
pockets.
Air pockets are tiny
holes in the clay will
cause your project to One of the other
clay room rules is to
blow up! keep wedged clay
wrapped in plastic
so it does not dry
out!
 So why do we Wedge?
1. Mixes the clay
2. Removes excess
moisture from the
clay

3. Removes air pockets
from the clay.
4. Aligns the molecules
in the clay.
 Wedging
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNZhkHJ1ozE

Quick Question? Recall from

6th gradewhat do we call
this shape?
What Stage of clay is
this?

What Stage of clay is
this?

What Stage of clay is
this?

 What

Stage of
clay is
this?
 What
Stage
of clay
is this?
What

Stage
of
clay
is
this?
What Stage of clay is this?

What Stage of clay is
this?


Lets check your
understanding of the 5
stages of clay!
 Plastic Stage of Clay
Describe three characteristics about what this
stage of clay is like?
 Leather hard stage of clay
What are 2 characteristics of this stage of clay?
Green ware Stage of Clay

What is this stage of clay like?

Can it be recycled?
 Bisque ware stage of clay
Explain what bisque ware is and how its different
from Greenware?
 Glaze ware stage of clay
Explain 3 reasons why we have to apply glaze to
the clay?
Clay Methods of Clay Construction or
Hand Building with Clay

 Methods of Construction or
Ways to Hand Build with Clay

Modeling
Pinch Pot
Coil Pot
Slab Construction
 Video

Clay Hand Building Methods

(18 minutes)
 Modeling Method of Construction

Clay is formed by pushing pulling, of

clay with your can and carving with clay
tool, these forms have to be hollowed out.
 Pinch Method of Construction

Pinch Pot: pinching a ball of clay with
your fingers into a small shape.
 Pinch Pot
Pinching is a pottery technique fundamental to manipulating clay.
Making a pinch pot consists of pressing the thumb into a ball of clay,
and drawing the clay out into a pot by repeatedly squeezing the clay
between the thumb and fingers.
Pinch Pots
 Coil Method of Construction

Coil Pottery: rolling snake like coils and
stacking them on top each other to form a
shape.
 Coil Construction
Coils are long, snake-like ropes of clay that are used in making
pottery. It involves building the walls of a form with a series of coils
into the required shape. The surface can either remain coil-textured
or they can be smoothed.
Coil Ceramics
 Slab Method of Construction

Clay Slab: Rolling flat sheets of clay and

cutting and assembling them by scoring
and add slip to each of the flat formed
shapes.
 Slab Construction
A pottery technique in which a form is built up by joining shapes cut
from thick sheets of damp clay.
Other Methods of Clay Construction

Potters Wheel
Mold/Pouring /slip
casting
 Pottery Wheel Method of Construction
Wheel Thrown/Pottery Wheel

In pottery, a potter's wheel is a machine used in the shaping of
round ceramic ware.
When clay is placed on the wheel it is said to be Thrown

Another clay room rule: while Thrown clay is a method of clay construction we
do not do it there at FMS. In fact NO clay is allowed to thrown, flicked, smacked,
smeared, tossed, juggled or any other inappropriate mishandling of the clay. You
clay will immediately be take away from you if you cannot behave with it.
Wheel Thrown Pottery

 Slip Casting
Slip: a liquid mixture of clay and water
Liquid clay is poured into mold and let dry to greenware.
Then it is removed from the mold, cleaned up and fired.
With this mold method you get exact duplicates or sets
of the same clay object.
Slip Cast Ceramics
 Time to Earn Tickets!
Raise your hand and
answer the question when
called on to get yourself a
fancy blue ticket.
What method of hand
building is this?

What method of hand
building is this?

What method of hand
building is this?

What method of hand
building is this?

What method of hand
building is this

Clay Tools

One of the clay room rules is to

keep your clay tools cleaned by
washing them at the end of the
hour.
 Tools, Tools, Tools.

hands
modeling tools

loop tools

ribs

Elephant ear
sponge wire clay cutter/ toggle
 Clay Tools: Loop Tool

A variety of
different sized loop
tools can be used for
extracting negative
space areas. Beveled
edges are easy to
carve with the right
size loop tool.
Clay Tools: Loop Tool

The loop tool is best

for carving.

The process of
carving into clay
breaks down into
two basic
categories:
low (bas relief)
high relief.
 Clay Tools: elephant ear sponge

Smooth the surface with a damp elephant ear sponge.

This gets rid of any unwanted blemishes and helps
keep the clay moist. These are not used to clean your
tables.
Clay Tools: rib tool
These tools can help shape
and smooth pots as they are
being formed on the wheel .

They are also used in the Rib

and Hand method of working
with coiled pots.

Ribs come in a many different

shapes and usually are made
from metal, plastic, or
hardwood.
Clay Tools: Modeling Tools
Modeling tools
come in an
astounding variety
of shapes, useful in
all sorts of hand
building.
Clay Tools:Clay Toggle
Clay Cutter/ Toggle
Probably the most
common ones have two

hardwood handles at
either end. Fishing line
and uncoiled springs can
also be used as cut-off
wires.

These tools are useful in

cutting large lumps of clay
and also in removing
thrown ware from the
potter's wheel.
Clay Tools
Banting Wheels are used
for building for decorating
clay. It allows you to turn

the clay without picking it
up and ruining the shape.
Banting Wheels are on the
supply table and should
be washed and put away
at the end of each hour.
These are not toys and f
you spin and play it will
be taken away.

The Kiln

A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber. It is a type
of oven. However your oven at home reaches 500-700 degree
at its highest temperature. Clay needs to be fired a lot
hotter than that. A kiln produces temperatures
sufficient to complete a chemical change in the clay
from particle to solid. This is called vitrification.
To VITRIFY means fusing clay so that it will harden
under intense heat.
 Traditional methods of firing clay were in a wood fire
kiln. Artists today still use wood fire kilns because they
produce different look to the clay.

 Today most artists use these smaller safer economic
programmable kilns. They are either gas or electric and
can fire up to temperatures of 2500 degrees.

 Clay projects are carefully stacked in the
kiln on shelves. Nothing can touch the sides
of the kiln and projects should not touch

each other.
 .
Not all clay survives the kiln. This is what it looks like when clay projects blow up

Clay projects blow up from air pockets or being fires when they are still moist or wet.
 Clay projects go into the kilns two
times and are fired twice, once as bisque
ware and then again as glaze ware.

 Slip and Score
Slip is a liquid clay that works like glue

Scoring is the process of scratching the clay
Slip and Score
The slip and score process begins with two unfired slabs of clay. The clay used
for scoring and slipping should always be almost leather-hard. Score each piece
of clay in the areas where they will be attached, using anything with a serrated.
Using a paintbrush, apply a thick coating of slip to the scored area. Press and
blend the two pieces of clay firmly together for about one minute. Scrap away
any slip on the outside of the pieces.

Video clip how to slip and score

 Clay Room Rules
No throwing, slamming flicking
smearing tossing juggling of the clay in
any way.

Misuse of clay- immediately gets taken
away and you dont do a clay project.
Clean up after yourself.
Dont touch anyone else's projects.
Dont go into the other room.
Keep your project in your assigned area.
Stay away from kiln and wheel
Dont go near the windows
Keep clay moist and wrapped in plastic-
if you let it dry out you dont get
anymore.
Tie long hair back and cut your nails.
Dont complain that you are dirty.
 Clean-Up
Hazards of clay dust:
Silica particles = extremely tiny pieces of glass, which
became airborne and easily inhaled.extremely
hazardous to lungs
Solution:
WET clean-up prevents dust from building up and
becoming airborne
Use wet sponges, spray bottles, wet paper towel